The WingMan
by kdj539
Summary: Spike asks Winnie to go to Italy with him. She agrees. He spends more time analyzing and fantasizing about the trip! Maybe if he'd stop doing that he'd enjoy it!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Flashpoint or its characters.**

**Vacation Plans**

Spike clicked on the 'SUBMIT' button and watched his computer screen. Within seconds he was presented with all the details of his trip to Italy. He scanned through the information on the screen. Flight times - they look ok, he thought. Did he think there was enough time between flights? Yep - so far so good. Connections? Was exactly what he wanted.

His eyes then focused on the travelers names: _Scarlatti, Mike & Camden, Winnie_.

What the hell was he thinking?

He can't believe she actually agreed to go with him to Italy. He can't believe he asked her! He had asked her out to dinner a while ago and she said 'No'. So now he asked her to accompany him to visit his mother half way around the world as she says 'Yes'? Was he insane? Maybe she's the one who's insane - she's the one who said 'Yes'! He remembers the conversation they had when he asked her -

"This just in from Italy!" Winnie looks up at his voice and his heart begins that funny thumping it always does when she looks at him. She swipes the postcard out of his hand.

"Your mother is solely responsible for keeping the post office in business!"

"At lease she waits until the third line to ask me when I'm coming to visit."

"Awwww"

"Wanna be my wingman? Keep all my aunts from asking me why I'm still single?" What the hell was he saying?

"What's in it for me?"

"All the homemade wine you can drink?", he says as his brow furrows.

"I'm listening…"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah".

So that's how it went - he asked, she said yes, he panicked. Of course he didn't do it in front of her! They chatted for a while longer discussing things like when to go and when to ask for the time off. Spike started to clue her in on some of his more colorful relatives. He watched her face as he regaled her with stories of his past visits there. She was laughing, showing those perfect white teeth. Big brown eyes looking at him, those full lips, smooth skin. He told her his mother was living with her two sisters, both widows. That they shared a small house. He wondered if there would be enough bedrooms for them. Maybe him and Winnie would have to share a room. He pictured them getting ready for bed - Winnie in a skimpy night gown, hair tumbling down her shoulders, the silky material revealing every luscious curve of her body. He pictured himself reaching out to her and pulling her close to him. His hands would rove over her soft skin. She would tilt her face up to him and slowly close her eyes, gently parting those full lips...

"Spike? You listening?" He was suddenly pulled out of his fantasy. Good thing there was a desk between them so she couldn't see just how 'excited' he was over this trip. Good thing the rest of Team One was gone for the day! This time he lucked out.

"Oh, sorry. Just thinking about my mother", he lied. "What did you ask?"

Winnie just smiled at him - that kind of 'Wow - what a good son he is, thinking of his mother' kind of smile. Good thing she wasn't a mind reader!

"I was just wondering what the weather would be like. Wanna make sure I bring the right clothes. Think I need anything fancy? Will we be doing any fancy stuff?"

He can think of a few 'fancy things' for them to do!

Spike also remembers the day after that conversation - it's after shift and he's driving back to the barn with Leah. He's staring out the window while she's driving.

"So - a little birdie told me you and Winnie are going on a vacation together. How did that come about?" She glances over at him and he just stares at her.

"Who told you?"

"Who do you think? You certainly didn't. Big news like that and you kept it from me? Come on Scarlatti - share!"

"She told you?" He's thinking he should gather some intel from Leah so he continued, "Did she sound happy? Did she look happy? I don't know - did she look like she's regretting it?" He was starting to panic again.

Leah just turned and gave him a dirty look - "What's wrong with you? She was excited about it. Kept going on and on about it. You're the one who looks like he's regretting it! Isn't this what you wanted?"

Spike just shrugged. Of course this is what he wanted! He just didn't know what it was he was getting!

"So Leah, what does it mean when a girl says 'No' to a date but 'Yes' to a trip to Italy? What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to act? How do I introduce her to my family - 'hey this is my pretend girlfriend'!" He's starting to mumble, "Good thing she doesn't speak Italian. Maybe I'll tell them she's a mute. Then I'll tell Winnie none of them speak English. Yeah that'll work."

Leah just glanced at him and sighed. "You know what Scarlatti? You're smart, you'll just have to figure it out!"

They drove the rest of the way in silence.

So here he is now staring at the itinerary. Winnie suggested they get together and discuss the details of the trip. Maybe plan a side trip to Rome since his mother lived about an hour away. His mind slipped back into his 'Winnie fantasy' mode - them strolling hand in hand through the streets of Rome. Maybe sitting at a cozy outdoor restaurant, sipping wine and laughing...God! He needs to wake up and quit this day dreaming! So he calls his mother and lets her know that he's coming to visit. Also that he's bringing a 'friend'. Once he told her it was a girl he couldn't get her to quit asking questions.

"Mikey, how long have you been seeing this girl? Is she the pretty one with the dark hair you always talk about?" God, was he that transparent?

"Her name's Winnie, ma. And she's just a friend." Saying it was like admitting defeat.

"I'm going to tell your aunts that you're coming and bringing your girlfriend with you. Oh, they will be so excited!" Spike thinks he can't wait for that.

Two days later he gets an email from his favorite aunt, Serafina. Fina, as she was called, was his mother's youngest sister. His mom had 5 siblings in all, Matteo, Mariella and Monalisa were all older than her. The last was Serafina. His mom says that Serafina was 'A little suprise'. Given the fact that she was so much younger than his mom Spike figures she was a surprise. In fact she was only 12 years older than he was!

Spike's earliest memory of Serafina was when he was 8 years old. His family had traveled to Italy during the summer and planned to spend a month there. Spike was excited even though it wasn't the first time he'd been there. This was the first time where he figured he would be able to hang out with his cousins without his mother hovering over him. He was one of the youngest cousins and certainly the geekiest. Sometimes when the older boys teased him it was always Serafina who came to his rescue. She would run off the other kids then help him plot his revenge. "Let's blow something up and scare the livin' crap out of them!", she would exclaim.

One time they did. Fina brought a wooden box and some firecrackers. The plan was to put the box over the firecrackers outside on the patio. Spike's job was to rig the firecrackers so he could detonate them remotely. On top of the box Fina placed a flower pot full of dirt. Then she put some chairs around it. Looked like a harmless little table. Once several of his cousins sat in the chairs or gathered the makeshift table Spike would then detonate the firecrackers. He remembers him and Fina hiding behind the garden wall. Fina poked her head out saying, "Easy Mikey, not just yet. Let's wait for them to get comfortable." When she thought the moment was right she said, "Go ahead Mikey, let 'er rip!" Spike then pressed the switch he made. BOOM! Dirt flew all over his cousins! They were jumping around and cursing. Some had screamed like little girls.

"What the hell is going on?" Oops, that was Spike's dad as he came out to survey the damage. Of course nobody was hurt. Just some bruised egos. "Who did this?" Spike knew he was in trouble and started to get up from his hiding place. Serafina pushed him to the ground and stood up. "It was me, Dominic. Didn't mean to scare anyone. Was just trying to get rid of the birds that were pecking at the fruit trees. Sorry!"

Spike's dad just looked at her and shook his head, mumbling something about how that girl needs to find a husband.

Fina dropped back down next to Spike and they both started to laugh hysterically.

The next time Spike went to Italy he was 12. Serafina was 24 and gorgeous. She was tall and willowy unlike her sisters who were rather short and more round. They didn't get to spend as much time together as she was pursuing her dream - she wanted to be a fashion designer. Spike had to admit some of the outfits she wore were rather 'unique'. Well, he wasn't exactly knowledgeable in fashion.

On his last trip to Italy at 17 he didn't see Serafina at all. She was living in Rome with her husband and her two small children. She did call him on the phone, "Mikey did you ever think that I would be married! With kids? You'd shit if you saw what I fed them sometimes!" He laughed at their conversation and was happy that she was happy. Ten years later would find his Aunt Serafina a widow. Her husband having gotten sick. His mother never did tell him the details and he never asked. But every year at Christmas and his birthday Fina would send him a card with a letter updating him on what was going on in her life. She would tell him how proud his dad was of him (he didn't believe that one!) But she always mentioned some award he was given or referred to a newspaper clip about his heroics. He guessed his mom had sent them to her.

Spike pulled his thoughts back to the present and reads Fina's email.

_Dear Mikey,_

_So excited that I will finally get to see you! And your girlfriend too! Is she the one that turned you down? Things must have turned around for you! _

_Send me your itinerary and I will pick you both up from the airport and deliver you to your mother's house (lovingly know as the gates of hell!)_

_Ciao,_

_Fina_

Spike had told Serafina about Winnie. If fact the night that Winnie turned him down, he had sent Fina an email. He was upset and needed to tell someone. He and Fina had been emailing regularly since his mom moved to Italy. Fina had picked his mom up from the airport and got her settled in with Mariella and Monalisa. Since they were all widows, Fina had called it 'The dead husband's club'. Spike told her she should also join. Fina owned the house and let her sisters stay there. They wanted to pay her rent but she just shook her head, "Come on, someone needs to be there and look after the place. Who better than my loving sisters?". Truth was Fina was pretty successful in her career and wanted to replay her older sisters since they mostly raised her. It seemed to work for everyone.

Spike had poured his heart out in the email. He remembers less than 10 minutes after he sent it his cell phone rang. It was Fina.

"Oh Michelangelo, I'm so sorry! How can any girl resist you?"

"It's ok Auntie Fina, I'll get over it."

"Is she interested in another guy? Maybe you can blow him up?"

"Funny. And I wouldn't know if she interested in another guy. I just know she's not interested in me!"

"How could she not be! Did I ever tell you about the first time I met Eduardo?" Eduardo was her late husband. "I thought he was a jerk. Didn't like him at all. Then two years later we were married!"

Spike thought about that - maybe there was some hope. "So what do I do?"

"What?! Turn on some of that Scarlatti charm!"

"Yeah, well, see where that got me?"

"Bah! Then give up! Maybe you'll find another girl." At that remark Spike went quiet. "So you don't believe there is another girl for you, huh Mikey?"

Spike sighed, "Not really".

"Then do something about it! Try to convince her you are the perfect guy! She did say that didn't she?"

"Yeah, she did". They spoke for another hour. Serafina told him how she went to the 'witches den' (another pet name for the house where his mom and aunts lived) and tried to setup an internet connection for them so they could 'face time' with relatives. They also talked about what was going on with their jobs. Spike regaling her with tales of bomb diffusal and Fina talking about her latest couture creations. After they said their goodbyes, Spike felt more frustrated than ever.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This chapter is more of a 'bridge' to the rest of the story. Enjoy!

Storm before the Calm

With their vacation several months out, Spike and Winnie fell back into their usual dynamic. Which was fine with him, this way he didn't have to think about the upcoming Italy trip. Not that he wasn't looking forward to it - he was. It's just that he didn't want to over analyze his and Winnie's relationship. Did they even have a relationship? Aside from friendship? She said she didn't date cops. But she does go on vacation with them - _overseas_ vacations at that. What does that mean? Sometimes he just exhausts himself thinking about it.

So - he decided not to think about it anymore. Didn't seem like Winnie did. Ok, every once in a while she would mention some place she would like to visit or bring in some crap she downloaded from the internet about Italy. He would look it over and always find himself agreeing with her.

Finally a pleasant distraction came along - Jules and Sam announced their wedding. Well, he thought it would distract him. Only it didn't. Just made him realize how much he wanted to be the one getting married - to Winnie. He wanted to be the one settling down, starting a new life, starting a family.

Now he felt foolish. Why was he spending time with a woman who thought of him only as a friend? If he was really serious about settling down, he should be trying to find a girl to settle down with! Except he thought he had - Winnie. Plus he already committed to taking her to Italy. For some strange reason he felt like he couldn't go out with any other girls. He wondered if Winnie was seeing someone. He didn't think so - well he hoped not. His mother had told him that there were some eligible young ladies in her neighborhood. She kept telling him about them until he mentioned that he was bringing Winnie to Italy. He figured his mom felt she didn't need to match-make anymore. That somehow he had managed to find a girl on his own.

The day of Jules and Sam's wedding finally arrived. All of Team One was invited, of course. The only problem was after the ceremony, they had to work! Unfortunately, the only day that Sam's dad had open was one where Team One was on shift. So, Jules, the ultimate planner, had just worked around it. The ceremony would be in the morning and the reception would be after shift. Everyone was looking forward to it. Spike especially so. Then he found out Winnie wouldn't be able to attend the ceremony. One of the other dispatchers had an emergency, so Winnie had to cover for them. Spike thinks he was more upset than she was. Well, he thought, there's always the reception!

Trouble was things didn't go his way. That day was one of the worst of his life. A crazy bomber unleashed his insane wrath on the city. Both Donna and Jimmy were killed in a blast. Ed's son Clark was hurt. Sam almost getting blown up. Boss getting shot. Yeah, that was a day he won't forget for a long time - will probably never forget.

It's now a month after that fateful day. Spike is lying in his bed, thinking. His thoughts went to Sam and Jules' wedding. He remembers flirting with Winnie after the wedding while they were on shift, showing her the pictures he took with his cell. He thinks he had convinced her to attend the reception. At least he had hoped so. His plan was to stick by her side, maybe dance with her. Show her that he can be fun outside of work. Then all hell had broken loose. Spike doesn't want to relive that part. He's grateful that at least Boss is stable, that he's going to be ok. Except that Boss will probably not make it back to active duty. Not make it back to Team One. His thoughts drift to Donna and Jimmy. Things will never be the same again.

Commander Holleran had called a meeting a week after the bombings and the funerals. Both Team One and Team Three were now shorthanded. Holleran said he would work with Ed and combine the two teams to make one team until they can hold trials for replacements. The existing members would be rotated in and out. They would be answering only low-priority calls. Holleran encouraged them to use vacation time. Get away, spend time with loved ones.

His thoughts shifted back to the present. His vacation was still 5 weeks away. He had told Ed he would rather go ahead and work. Ed had protested since Spike had plenty of vacation time to take, but in the end he convinced Ed that it would be better for him to work. Not like he had a family to fall back on. Well, except for Team One - but they had their own families.

Winnie had went back to work a week after the bombings. Spike hardly had the time, or the energy, to interact much with her. He just needed to get his head wrapped around all the changes.

Slowly things started to return to normal – well, as normal as they could be. He was beginning to spend more time at Winnie's desk, especially since they weren't expected to go on critical hot calls.

"Hey Spike! I found this on the internet. Wanna take a look?" Winnie held out a sheet of paper to him as he approached her desk.

"What'd you find?" Spike was grateful for the normalcy. He took the paper from her and read it over. It was a walking tour of Anzio, hitting on the more historic sites of the city. Spike was impressed. All of her other 'finds' had been of Rome.

"I think this would be fun. We can invite your mom and aunts to come along. Make a day of it." She was looking at him with a grin.

He made a face at her, "Are you sure you want to invite THEM?"

"Come on Spike! How bad can it be? Will be fun! You yourself said your mom hasn't had time to get out and explore her new home." As she was talking she was organizing some papers on her desk.

"Ok. When I call her tomorrow I'll mention it. See what she says." In his mind, his mom would say 'No - take your beautiful girlfriend with you! You don't need me hanging around! Go have some fun!' Yeah, that's what he wants to happen. What WILL actually happen is that he'll end up hauling all their asses around!

Before either of them could utter another word they heard Ed, "Spike, round up the others and meet me in the briefing room in 5. We got a warrant to serve." Spike just smiled apologetically at Winnie and did as he was told.

A few hours later, with the warrant executed without a hitch, he and Jules were in the truck, heading back to the barn, him driving.

"Sooo, Michelangelo. Always the man of mystery! I wanna know about you and our fair Winnie!"

Spike glanced over at her and smirked, "What's to know? Just two friends going on vacation together."

"Cut the bullshit Spike! This is me you're talking to! So spill!"

Spike feigned annoyance, "Nothing to tell. I asked her if she wanted to go to Italy, she said yes." He was hoping Jules would give up this line of questioning.

Fat chance of that! This was Jules he was talking to.

"C'mon Spike! Don't act like you don't have a THING for Winnie. Not like the rest of us are blind you know."

Spike didn't say anything, really didn't know what to say. Was he so transparent that everyone could tell? Leah had thought so.

It was Jules who spoke again, "You know Spike. Sometimes you want something really bad but you don't think it's possible". She was twirling her wedding band around on her finger, making her point. "Then one day you realize that if you really want it you're going to have to work your ass off to get it."

Spike knew where she was coming from. He thought about all the heartache Jules and Sam must have gone through. Getting together, breaking up, getting together again. And _finally_ getting married. Well if they could do it then he could too! He glanced over at her, "I get it Jules."

She punched him in the arm, "I'm sure you do, boy genius, I'm sure you do."

With the infamous trip now just a couple weeks out, Spike decides to visit Boss, see how his rehabilitation is going. He stops and gets a pizza on the way over since Boss told him Marina would be working and he would be on his own for dinner. Spike's looking forward to their time together – get his mind off the fact that he's going on vacation with Winnie.

He knocks on the door of Boss's place.

"Spike! Come in, come in. Glad you decided to stop by." Boss is getting around pretty good with that cane.

"You're just glad I'm bringing food!"

"Yeah, well that too."

Spike follows Boss into the kitchen and places the pizza on the table. He thinks Boss looks a hell of lot better than he did a month ago.

Boss offers Spike something to drink. "C'mon, let's sit down for a bit. You can catch me up on what's going on at SRU."

Spike takes a seat across from Boss, "Like you don't already know. I'm sure Ed calls you every few minutes and fills you in on what's going on."

Boss just smiles at Spike, "Alright, alright. Could never pull the wool over your eyes. So, I hear you and Winnie are going on vacation together. Wanna tell me how that came about?"

Spike shifts uncomfortably in his seat. He knew the conversation would touch on this. His vacation seems to be the 'big news' at the barn. He sees different people stopping by Winnie's desk, probably asking her questions. They all seem to suddenly disappear when he approaches. Thinks maybe they're their asking her if she's lost her mind or something.

"What can I say? I asked and she agreed. Really nothing to tell. We're just friends." That seems to be the mantra he repeats. He's thinking he should mention the pizza – if Boss is eating he can't ask questions. He doesn't want Boss to profile him.

Boss just chuckles, "Spike, let me share my perceptions. It's not like I wasn't aware that you were paying more attention to Winnie than usual."

"I wasn't –"

"Just hear me out Spike. I like Winnie. She's a great girl. You could do a lot worse - but not better."

Spike looked down at his hands on his lap, "I get it Boss. Just, I don't know if she feels the same about me."

"Let me remind you of something. A while ago a tall blonde asked you to go away for a weekend at a cabin, sound familiar?"

Spike knows he's talking about Natalie and the time she called him to ask him that. Because of the trouble that happened afterwards, Boss had Winnie pull his end of their conversation from the auto-transcripter. Great! Isn't it just dandy when everyone knows your business! Spike looks at Boss as he continues –

"What answer did you give Natalie?"

"I told her I wasn't ready for weekends at cottages." Spike thinks Boss already knows this – just wants to make a point.

"That's right. So doesn't it make sense that maybe Winnie is thinking of moving beyond friends? Seeing that she agreed to this vacation."

Spike's brow is furrowed – he's trying to rationalize what Boss said. Maybe Winnie is ready for that. But then again –

"I know I wouldn't go all the way to Italy with someone – to meet family no less – unless that person meant more to me that just being a friend." Boss was looking at Spike as he said this, seeing if it was sinking in.

"I don't know. Maybe you're right. Maybe I should –"

"Maybe you should just let what's going to happen, happen. You may be surprised." With that Boss reached for the pizza, "Now, let's see how good this is!"


	3. Chapter 3

A/N – Used the google translator for the Italian phrases so don't hold me responsible!

Travels with Winnie

The day of their vacation finally arrived. Spike arrived at Winnie's apartment at the agreed upon time to pick her up. As he pulled up to her building he noticed her standing outside with her luggage, one suitcase and a backpack. She left her hair curly and just had it tied back in one of those scrunchy things. She had on a zip-up sweatshirt over a t-shirt and jean. She was holding two cups of coffee.

"Spike! Got coffee for you! I can't believe we're finally going!"

'I can't either', Spike thought to himself. "Well let's get your luggage in the car and head out. Thanks for the coffee."

They got in the car and Winnie started to talk about the clothes she brought. Since it was June she figured the weather would be warm so she opted for shorts and capris.

"And check out these jeans Spike", she lifted her sweatshirt and tugged at the top of her jeans. "See they stretch! Nothing like traveling in stretchy pants! Will make for a comfortable trip."

All he could focus on was the bare skin he saw on her stomach. He imagined running his hand over her smooth skin. She would shiver at his touch, her eyes would close as his hand moved up to caress her -

"Spike?" He was pulled out of his day dreams.

"Yeah?"

"I was asking you if you remembered your passport. You did, didn't you?" She had a puzzled look on her face.

"Yep."

After parking the car and toting their luggage through the terminal they strode up to the ticket counter. Spike gave their names and handed over all the relevant documents. The agent printed out the boarding passes and handed them to Spike.

"There you go Mr. Scarlatti and Ms. Camden. Enjoy your trip!"

Spike took the boarding passes and frowned. He handed them back to the agent, "Excuse me. I think you made a mistake. I didn't book first class tickets."

The agent looked at the tickets, "Hang on and let me bring up your reservation. Ok, your tickets were upgraded 2 weeks ago - the memo says 'Enjoy, Love Serafina', does that ring a bell?"

"Yes it does, thanks."

Winnie just looked at him and asked, "Who's Serafina?"

"She's my aunt, my mom's youngest sister. She'll be meeting us at the airport in Rome." Spike looked at Winnie with a cocky grin on his face and added, "I was always her favorite. Guess this just proves it."

Winnie laughed, "I want to hear all about her."

Since they had an hour before they were supposed to board, they found a coffee shop where they could sit so Spike could tell Winnie all about his aunt. They also checked over the itinerary again. They had an overnight flight that took them to Frankfurt. After a couple hours layover they would board another plane for Rome, arriving a little after lunch. Serafina would pick them up and take them to Anzio where they would be staying.

When they boarded the plane Spike let Winnie have the window seat. "I'd rather be on the aisle anyway since I need to stretch my legs. Don't want to get an embolism." Winnie just gave him a dirty look.

"I hope to fall asleep since there won't be much to see in the dark anyway", Winnie replied as she adjusted herself and her stuff to get comfortable.

They spent the next couple hours dining on airline food and watching movies. When his movie was over, Spike looked over at Winnie and noticed she was sound asleep. He gently removed her ear phones and adjusted the blanket around her. He then just stared at her. He never really got to watch her up close before. Her face was perfect to him. He looked at the splash of freckles across her nose, took in the smooth skin and the full lips. Before he knew it him mind began to wander again. He imagined himself running his thumb over those full lips, brushing his fingers over her smooth cheeks. She would look up at him and smile, maybe turn her face and kiss his palm...

"Sir, can I get you anything?" Spike nearly jumped out of his seat as the flight attendant spoke.

"No, I'm good, thanks." He couldn't help the annoyance that showed in his voice.

"Well if you or your lady needs anything, let me know". Spike just nodded and decided he should also get some rest.

Spike woke up at the announcement that they would be landing in Frankfurt soon. So he began the usual tasks, he made sure his tray table was up and his seat back was up. He looked over at Winnie, she was still asleep. Her seat was still leaning back and she had her head on one of those little pillows facing him. The blanket was pulled up to her neck. Now how should he wake her up? Maybe with a kiss? Spike huffed at himself and decided to just shake her a little. But where? Everything was covered up. What if he aimed for her arm and she moved and he touched something else? Something soft and round with a perfect little peak at the end-

"Spike, why didn't you wake me?"

"I was just about to", he sputtered. He watched as she stretched, the blanket falling off her as she raised her arms and arched her back. She had removed the sweatshirt so she only had on her t-shirt. A very tight t-shirt. Spike stared at her breasts, careful to make sure she didn't see where he was looking.

"What time is it?" Winnie turned and looked at him. He just managed to pull his eyes away from her chest.

"It's about 8:40am. Just in time for some breakfast. You hungry?"

"Starved." The plane landed and Spike hopped up to get their stuff from the overhead bin. He moved out in the aisle and Winnie stood up and moved in front of him. God - she smelled so good. She was standing right in front of him, his body was barely touching hers. Maybe the other passengers will push him forward. Then he could push into Winnie. It wouldn't be his fault then, right? He thinks maybe if he moves really slow -

"Spike I need coffee really, really bad. Ugh, need to stretch my legs too. My butt hurts, it feels flat. Does it look flat to you?" She turned around so he could see her butt. It looked perfect to him, not flat at all. Soft, round, firm. He had to swallow back the spit that was accumulating in his mouth since he was now salivating. His mind wandered - 'Spike', her voice would be breathless as she said his name. 'I want you from behind, feel your body against mine, feel you' -

"So, where should go for breakfast? Should be a sit down place, Spike. We have two hours to kill". Spike pulled himself from his fantasy as Winnie started walking down the aisle and out the plane. Shit! What the fuck is wrong with him? Seems like all he does is fantasize about her. Damn, this is going to be a long 14 days. He'd better get his act together or he's going to embarrass himself!

Fortunately the next flight went smoothly. Winnie had bought him a 'Popular Science' magazine, stating that it had some articles about bombs and stuff. It was enough to occupy his mind and keep him from lusting after her. When the plane landed in Rome and as they were getting ready to get off, Winnie turned to him - "I can't believe we're in Rome! The Eternal City!" She suddenly leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Thanks Spike. For inviting me." She gave him a sweet smile then turned around and began to gather her stuff. Spike knew better than to try and analyze her actions. Might start another daydream and that's all he needs right now!

After getting off the plane, they walked side by side to the baggage claim area to pick up their luggage. That's where Serafina said she would meet them. They made their way over to the carousel and waited for their bags to appear. After just a few moments Spike had retrieved both their bags.

"Mikey! Michelangelo!" He looked up and saw a tall woman rushing over to him.

"Così uona da vedere!" (so good to see you!), she said as Spike rushed over to give her a big hug. The two of them were speaking in Italian a mile a minute, hands flying in gestures. Finally, Serafina looked over to Winnie and said something to Spike.

"Fina, this is Winnie. Winnie this is my aunt Serafina."

Winnie held out her hand, "So happy to meet you! Spike had spoken so much about you!"

"Spike? Che è spike?" (Spike, who is Spike?). Serafina was looking quizzically at him.

"Spike is my work nickname. Remember years ago when I used to put all that gel in my hair? Well, it stuck." He reverted back to English to include Winnie in the conversation.

"Huh, that's not all that stuck!", shot back Serafina. "We thought your hair would fall out from all that crap you put on it! Thanks goodness you don't use it anymore!" Serafina then turned to Winnie who was smiling, "So very pleased to meet you, bella. Mikey has also spoken highly of you!" Fina stated while winking at Spike. He felt his face turn red.

"Well let's get going, shall we? Don't want to just stand around." Spike didn't want this conversation heading in the wrong direction.

The ride to his moms went smooth. Serfina drove and Winnie sat in the front beside her. They were talking and giggling like two school girls who had known each other for years. Was Fina always that easy going with strangers? He didn't remember her being. Maybe she was being extra nice to Winnie because she knew how he felt about her. Interesting. He hoped she wouldn't tell Winnie something embarrassing about him. If there is one thing Serafina is known for it's her teasing.

Before too long they were pulling into the driveway of the cottage in Anzio. It had a long driveway, with fruit trees on either side. The house was in town but had the feel of being private because the surrounding yard was so big. As they pulled closer to the house he spotted his mom and his two aunts standing in the front yard, side by side.

"Huh, all they need is a cauldron in front of them!" Serafina said as she smirked.

"FINA!" Spike said as he shook his head, Winnie just giggled.


	4. Chapter 4

**Meet the Family**

The rest of their first day was relaxing. Spike and his mom caught up on what was happening in each other lives. Not that they didn't already know. They talked every couple of days on the phone and once a week on the video conference. Yeah, thanks for that Fina!

After a delicious dinner - Spike forgot how good his mom's cooking was - they all went out on the back patio and watched the sun begin to set. Spike and Winnie were led to a 'loveseat' by his aunt Mariella. She gestured for them to sit then took a seat across from them and smiled. Come to think of it the seating arrangement looked like a setup to him. Directly across from the loveseat were three strategically placed chairs – for his mom and aunts. He wondered if they would whip out a spot light to shine in his eyes during the interrogation. The three of them just kept staring at him and Winnie and smiling, pausing every now and then to look at each other, like they were somehow responsible for the two of them sitting there. Finally Fina, who by the way wasn't given a chair, said "Well, time for me to head out." Both Spike and Winnie jumped up to say their goodbyes. Fina told them she would return on Saturday for the family get together. That would give Spike and Winnie a couple days to get over their jet lag.

Spike walked Serafina to her car. "She is beautiful, Mikey. I can see why you're in love with her!"

"I never said I was in love-"

"Bah", she interrupted. "I see the way you look at her. But you know something, Michelangelo? She looks at you the same way!"

"I don't know."

"What are you afraid of? Believe what I told you!" She placed her hand on the side of his face. He just shrugged and kissed her cheek.

"Thanks again for picking us up. And also for upgrading our seats. Just what was that about?"

"Nothing, nothing. Can't your gorgeous aunt spoil her favorite nephew and his girlfriend?" Before Spike could argue the 'girlfriend' part, she kissed his cheek and got in the car. He watched as she drove away.

Spike walked back inside the house to find Winnie help with the dinner dishes. His mom and aunts were falling over themselves fawning over her. The speed at which they plied Winnie with questions was phenomenal - 'Bella, what do you do?', 'How long have you known Michelangelo?', 'Did you know that Mikey owns his own house?', ''Do you like children?'. At that one he decided he'd better go rescue Winnie before his meddling relatives scare her away!

"Ma, I'm going to take our luggage upstairs to our rooms. Winnie? Wanna help me?"

Winnie was by his side in a second. "Sure! Lead the way!" She looked relieved.

As they hauled their stuff up the steps Winnie whispered, "Ugh, thanks for rescuing me!"

"Sorry about that. I should have known better than to leave you in their clutches. They mean well though." Spike gave her a sympathetic look.

"I know. They're sweet. They're making me feel at home. I bet the rest of your family is just as wonderful."

"Yeah, well, we'll see in a couple days". Spike was a bit apprehensive about Winnie meeting the rest of them. He had a shitpot load of cousins. Most were older and had kids of their own. He remembers that his male cousins used to tease him a lot. He hopes they won't tease him about Winnie. Saturday is definitely going to be interesting!

As they reached the top of the stairs and walked into the space Spike swallowed. There were obviously two 'sleeping' areas up here. The room was huge with a wall on each side of the steps going about half way between the smaller 'areas'. The entire back portion of each room was open to the other. He peeked around one of the walls and saw the bed tucked up against the back wall. Well, at least he won't have to lie in bed and look across at Winnie!

"Oh, how cute this room is!" He could hear Winnie moving about her 'area' so he walked over to see what she was up to. She had hoisted her suitcase on the bed and was busy sorting through her clothes. Her bed, like the one in his area, was just a full size. Beside the bed was a small night table with a lamp. There were two large windows on the side of the room with two others in the back. Under the window closest to the bed was a dresser. Winnie was opening the draws and putting her stuff away. He leaned against the wall and just watched her. He imagined her puttering around their bedroom, getting ready for bed. She would be wearing a tight tank top. It would be short, barely covering her belly button. She would have on bikini underwear, the kind that came up high on the thighs. She would turn around and notice him. 'Spike! Your home from work! I really missed you today' - her voice would be low and sultry as she slowly made her way over to him. He would gather her in his arms, breathe in her scent and -

"Spike you'd better put your clothes away. They're gonna get wrinkled!" Spike looked at Winnie's smiling face as he was jolted from his daydream.

"Yeah sure. I'll go do it now." He turned and walked over to his own space and just sat on the bed. Yep, he's just not going to get any sleep with Winnie barely 10 feet away. He put his elbows on his knees and just hung his head. He tried to remember why it was a good idea to invite her along on this trip in the first place!

The next couple of days went by in a blur. Spike and Winnie finally got over their jet lag and had both fallen into an easy routine. After resting for a couple days and just hanging around his mom, Spike suggested he and Winnie take a trip to the beach. Anzio did have a couple of nice beaches to go to. Lots of shops and restaurants around. Michelina told him that she thought that was a great idea so Spike went to get ready. He decided he would just wear a pair of jean shorts which he could also swim in. He added a t-shirt and tennis shoes. The weather was rather warm so a nice, cool dip in the ocean would be fun. His mind started to wander - Winnie would wear a bikini. He pictured her in a little top, the tiny triangles of material barely covering her breasts. The bottom would be a thong - yeah, that's what all the hot European women wear. Winnie would sit next to him in the sand. She would stand up and he would see the sand stuck to her luscious backside, because of the suntan oil he rubbed on her. She would wade into the water, submerge herself to her neck and when she stood up he would see her nipples, hard as little pebbles, waiting for him to -'.

"Michelangelo! Help us with the chairs!" His mom yelling at him from the bottom of the stairs interrupted his fantasy. He ran down.

"What? Chairs? Winnie and I won't need-"

"We do!" His mom was gesturing toward his two aunts standing next to her, each holding a picnic basket full of god knows what. Mariella and Monalisa had on these god-awful floppy hats, huge muumuus and brightly colored plastic flip flops with gaudy flowers on them. Not to mention every article of clothes and footwear were in shockingly neon colors! Great! Just fucking great! So much for his romantic ocean fantasy with Winnie. Who, by the way, stood next to his mom smirking at him.

"Yeah, come on Michelangelooo! Help with the chairs". Winnie was giggling, reveling in his obvious discomfort. He just stood there, looked at the 4 women, rolled his eyes and shook his head. Why can't he catch a fucking break!

Four hours later they returned home. What a disaster! Well to him it was. Everyone else seem to have a fucking good ole time!

He thought back to when they finally make it to the beach - after listening to 3 old Italian ladies tell him how to drive! Jesus - you would think he didn't know how! Well, maybe he did drive on the wrong side of the road at bit - but nothing was coming in the opposite direction so they were good! After finally arriving at the beach and finding a place to park, again with _their_ help, he and Winnie were getting the chairs out of the back, when the 3 biddies proceeded to meander away looking for the perfect place to sit. Of course, they end up right next to this group of young guys - he swears they did it on purpose - and motioned for him to place their chairs a little behind the guys so they could watch them while pretending to look at the ocean. Like he wasn't onto their game!

He helps them all get settled and places two towels down, side by side, for him and Winnie. Only thing he didn't think of was NOT placing them in front of the 3 biddies! As he sits down on his towel he sees Winnie sliding off her shorts and then she pulls her t-shirt over her head. He wasn't disappointed. Her bikini, although not as tiny as in his fantasy, was a dark red color which complemented her gorgeous skin. He looked her over starting with her hair, she left it curly and unadorned, the wind blowing the soft curls. He then checked out the soft swell of her breasts - he could see plenty of cleavage. He looked down at her tight abs and then down her long, smooth legs. She turned around, bending to pick up the suntan lotion and his eyes almost popped out of his head as he stared at her rear end. Smooth, tight, a bit of the cheek peeking out from her bikini bottom. Winnie sat down on her towel and opened the bottle of suntan lotion. She proceeded to rub it over her body. She started with her slender arms. She then put some lotion in her hands and gently smoothed it on her face, then down her neck. She added more and began to rub it on the swells of her breasts. She slid her hand between her breast and the bikini fabric, rubbing the lotion on the part that was wasn't even showing. He imagined sliding his hand there, taking the place of hers. The lotion soft and smooth on her breast as he kneaded it into her flesh - 'what the fuck?'. He felt something hit the back of his head. Felt like a small pebble. Then he felt another, then another. He turned around and saw his mother giving him dirty looks. She wagged her finger at him as his aunt Monalisa pitched another peanut at his head. He stood up and announced "I'm going for a walk!" He had to get out of there. He heard Winnie ask his mom if he was ok as he walked down to the water. He didn't need the water to 'cool his jets' so to speak. His old peanut-throwing aunt had taken care of that!

As Spike walked he thought about his mom and his aunts. He really shouldn't be mad at them! It wasn't their fault he was such an idiot as to invite Winnie along on this vacation for his torturous pleasure! Why did she agree to come?

His attention turned to the people he saw as he walked along the beach front, his feet in the water up to his ankles. He watched as one couple walked hand in hand, stopping every few feet to kiss. He saw another laying on a blanket, whispering intimately to each other. Would he ever get to do that with Winnie? What if she really, really doesn't date cops and just sees him as a friend? He was growing more and more depressed as he walked back over to his family. He looked around.

"Where's Winnie?" His mother just pointed down toward the water.

Just when he thought this day couldn't suck anymore! There was Winnie - in the middle of a group of guys, you know the studs the 3 old biddies insisted on sitting near, throwing a Frisbee around. That's it - he may as well just walk toward the water and keep walking. Maybe a shark will get him before he drowns himself. Not that Winnie would notice. She's too busy frolicking in the sand with -

"Hey Spike! Where'd you go? I was looking for you! Thought maybe we could, um, go for a walk or something?" Winnie was out of breath when she asked him. Like she ran all the way up here just to see him. Her body was glistening from sweat, chest heaving.

"Yeah, sure!"

So he did get to take a nice long walk with Winnie. He remembered how she had splashed water on him as she bent down to get her arms wet. They walked, laughed and talked.

So maybe it wasn't a total disaster after all!


	5. Chapter 5

The Family Reunion

Spike woke up Saturday morning to the sun streaming through his window. He looked at his clock - 8am. He stretched and decided to get up. He cocked his ear against the wall to see if he could hear Winnie breathing. Not that it was something he did, he assured himself. He just wanted to make sure she was comfortable. Yep, that's his story and he's sticking to it!

He walked downstairs after getting himself cleaned up, heading to the kitchen. The smells coming out of there made his mouth water! He could hear voices talking over one another. When he looked in the kitchen he saw a flurry of activity. His mom and aunts were cooking up a storm. They each had on one of those hideous floral full length aprons. He didn't know how they managed to accomplish anything, let alone a scrumptious meal, with the way they operated. Just seemed like chaos to him. As he continued to survey the kitchen, his eyes took in Winnie. She was right in the middle of them - also wearing one of those aprons. Although it didn't look quite as hideous on her. His thoughts drifted to Winnie in his kitchen. She would be wearing that exact same apron - except there would be nothing underneath. He would walk into his house after shift and just smell the mouth watering aromas. He would stroll into the kitchen. Winnie would have her back to him, attending something on the stove. The apron would wrap around her slender frame, barely covering her gorgeous backside. Her back would be exposed to him as the apron just looped around her neck. As he moved closer to her he could see the side swell of her breast barely covered by the front of the apron. He would stand behind her, wrap his arms around her waist and pull her gently against his growing -

"Spike! Can you come here please?" Winnie was looking at him as she held a large, steaming pot full of pasta. "Can you carry this over to the sink so I can rinse it?"

Spike, quickly recovering from his thoughts, took the pot from her, jeez it was heavy! Who in the hell are they feeding? He dumped it in the strainer for her as she turned on the faucet to rinse it. "Thanks!", she exclaimed as she smiled at him. He found himself smiling back, getting lost in her face.

"Mikey! Go outside and get all the chairs from the shed and set them up will you?" His mom looked up from where she was stirring her pot of sauce. "Sure ma." He looked around the kitchen again - the women were again talking and moving around. Winnie still right in the middle. He watched as his mom walked over to Winnie's side and inspect her work. He heard his mom tell Winnie how helpful she is in the kitchen and how important it is to know how to cook. Soon his aunts chimed in on that conversation. He managed to grab a cup of coffee and a biscotti off the table before he made a hasty retreat.

A couple hours later, with all the chairs arranged, he surveyed his work. He found a few umbrellas and tables in the shed along with the chairs so he went ahead and set those up. He figures they will need some shade from the afternoon sun. The porch had an awning on it already but he doubted if everyone would fit under it. Since they would be eating outside, inside or wherever they could find a place, he strategically placed the tables and stuff around the yard. He really didn't know how many of his relatives were coming. Nobody bothered to tell him and he didn't bother to ask.

He was sitting on the steps leading off the deck, eyes closed, his face raised to the sun when he heard the door open and footsteps coming toward him. He felt someone sit beside him. He opened his eyes and turned his head when he got a whiff of Winnie's perfume. She was looking at him smiling.

"Hi! Brought you something. Thought you may be a little hungry." She held out a small plate with some meats and cheeses, a large smile on her face.

"Thanks!" He was feeling pleased that she had remembered him. He took the plate she offered, "This looks great. Here - I'm willing to share!" He held the plate toward her. She wrinkled her nose at him - "Ugh, I don't think I can eat a thing. After all that tasting in there, I'm stuffed." Spike chuckled as she made a face and rubbed a hand over her stomach.

"So, what are you ladies cooking?" He attempted to make small talk while nibbling on the food she brought him.

"Tell you the truth, aside from the pasta, I don't have a clue! I know there's various dishes but I don't know the names of them." She looked down at her hands in her lap. "Wish I knew more Italian."

"I can teach you. Um, that is if you want?" Spike was looking hopefully at her. Finally a task that would allow him to spend time alone with her. Then he'd have an excuse to ply her away from the biddies.

"I'd love that! Can we start now? I'm pretty much finished in there." She stood up and removed her apron, then sat back down next to him. "Ok Professor Scarlatti. I'm ready for my first lesson!"

After spending a glorious couple of hours alone with Winnie, teaching her some phrases in Italian, his relatives began pouring in. Before their arrival he and Winnie had placed trays of finger foods on the tables out in the yard. They found a long table and made it into a bar with bottles of his family's homemade wine scattered around. They put a large bucket of ice there (he remembers Winnie slipping an ice cube down the back of his shirt. He had writhed around feigning outrage as she stood there laughing at him. He advanced toward her and she took off running. He gave chase and started tickling her when he caught up with her. She was wiggling around trying to break free of his hold, begging for mercy. He gave into her pleas and they both collapse on the grass, laughing.) There was also an assortment of other beverages plus plates, napkins, forks and stuff. Winnie stood back and surveyed their handiwork. "Looks great, don't you think so Spike? We make a good team." She smiled at him then turned and went back into the kitchen to help out. What did she mean by that? She said 'team' so that means him and her together. Doesn't it? Is she implying that they should do more together? Maybe he's just overreacting. Why did she did say 'team' and not 'couple'. If she really wanted to do stuff with just him wouldn't she say 'couple'? He was still trying to pick apart and analyze her words when he heard -

"Michelangelo, come nell'inferno?" (how in the hell are you?). It was his cousin, Nico. Nico was the oldest of his uncle Matteo. He was there with his wife and kids. Spike walked over and hugged him, both chatting away in Italian. As the day went on more and more relatives began pouring in.

Spike started to relax and enjoy being around his relatives. So far nothing bad happened. He had been obsessed with thinking that one of his relatives would ask Winnie some inappropriate question like - 'So, when are you two getting married?' or 'How long have you been dating?' That didn't seem to happen as far as he knew. So he just decided to enjoy the day and mingle.

Spike was talking to Serafina, who had arrived a couple hours earlier, when suddenly her phone rang. She excused herself and took the call. After a few moments he could hear her voice rising. He looked out on the patio to see her wildly gesticulating and cursing. Hmm, wonder what's going on there? By the time Serafina came back in Spike was standing in the kitchen with his mom and aunts.

"Fina, cosa c'è di sbagliato?" (What is wrong?) It was his mom asking.

"Wouldn't you just know! On Monday I have this important photo shoot and my model just canceled!" She was busy looking thru her contacts on her cell as she ranted.

"Uh, again? Just pick one of the girls to do it!" Monalisa was offering her a solution.

"One of the girls?" Spike wanted to know what they were talking about.

"Yes, yes. Fina sometimes picks one of your cousins to model her creations." His mom was chiming in, looking up at the heavens when she said 'creations'.

Fina frowned as if she were thinking about it. "This time it's different. Not only is this a major contract, I need a specific type of model."

"What do mean 'specific type'? I thought she just had to be pretty!" That was Mariella. Spike decided this conversation was getting interesting so he took a seat at the bar and watched.

"What do you know about fashion?" Fina was looking her sister over as she went back to searching her contacts.

"How about Leona? I don't think you ever gave her a turn?" Spike looked at Monalisa as she said this. He almost made a face. Leona was a couple years older than him. He wouldn't exactly classify her as 'pretty' though. Maybe if she ditched the horn rimmed glasses and did something with the frizzy hair...

"It's not about taking turns! This is my career we're so casually talking about!" Fina was in a tizzy.

"I got it! Ask Gianna, she's 'a certain type'", Mariella chimed using her fingers to put air quotes around 'a certain type'. Gianna was Matteo's daughter.

"Are you serious? She's 7 months pregnant! Please! Just let me think!" Serafina was getting more and more frustrated.

"Pregnant? Who did she marry?" Monalisa looked miffed at not knowing this. Spike noticed the bottle of wine next to him. He grabbed it along with a glass and poured himself a healthy libation. He almost rubbed his hands in glee - this is going to be good!

"I told you a long time ago that she wasn't married!" Mariella looked exasperated with her sister.

Monalisa rolled her eyes. "I told Matteo that's what happens when you get cable tv!" Spike had a swig of wine in his mouth and just about spit it out. He couldn't figure out the connection between cable tv and pregnancy!

"Ok, ok. Everyone just calm down. I'm sure there's a solution!" Great, now his mom was being the voice of reason. He almost wished he had a bowl of popcorn. His mom continued - "What type of girl are you looking for?"

Serafina didn't even look up from her phone as she answered. "She has to be exotic. The model I hired was from Brazil. I need this certain look to complement the outfits."

"What about Winnie?" Spike turned to stare at Mariella as she said this. She continued even as he gave her the evil eye. "She's pretty. You could say she's exotic!"

Serafina's head shot up and she just turned slowly toward her sister. She looked like she was evaluating this latest bit of information. It was as if a light bulb went off. "Yes! She is exotic! She will be perfect! Where is she? I'll go ask her!"

Spike didn't know what to think about this. He wasn't sure how he would feel about Winnie 'modeling'. Not that it was his decision. Not that he would have any say in it. Not that she would even consider asking him.

It was his mom who blocked Fina's path as she went to look for Winnie. "Just wait a minute Fina! Shouldn't you be asking Michelangelo how he feels about this first?" Go mom! She always did look out for him.

"Yes of course!" They all turned and looked at Spike. Serafina got a smug look on her face and she spoke - "Mikey - what do you say? Don't you want to help out your poor, favorite aunt?" She put the emphasis on 'favorite'.

Spike stammered, "Um, well really. It's not, um, my call. It's really up to Winnie."

Serafina got a huge smile on her face, bent over, kissed him on his cheek and exclaimed - "Now that I have your permission I will ask her." She practically ran out the door.

His mom and aunts just shook their heads.

About 10 minutes later Fina came back and rushed up to Spike. "She wants to talk to you first! Go, convince her to do this! Hurry!" Fina pulled Spike to his feet and pushed him out the door to find Winnie. He was searching around the yard when she suddenly came up to him.

"Hey Spike! Guess what?" He couldn't tell whether the look on her face was excitement or confusion.

"Let's see? You were asked to model beautiful clothes for one of Italy's hottest fashion designers?" He cocked his head at her.

She laughed as she swatted him on the arm. "Guess they told you, huh?"

"So, you gonna do it?"

"I told her I would, I mean, she seemed so desperate. She offered to pay me but I refused. I told her if she did I wouldn't do it. That is if you don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not!" He kind of lied as he really didn't know how he felt. "I mean, it's your choice."

"I know but it's your family! I just want to make sure you're ok with it. Are you?"

"Sure, don't worry about it. You'll be doing Fina a big favor. She seems to be in kind of a bind, huh?"

"Yeah. Well I'll go tell her. I wanted to make sure you were ok with it before I gave her my answer. Come with me?" Spike was flattered that she had thought to confer with him before making her decision. So just what did that mean? Why would she need his permission to do anything? Not like they were an 'item'. Were they? "Spike, come on!" He looked up and saw Winnie gesturing for him to follow her. Once in the kitchen they waited for Serafina to get off the phone. She appeared to be making some arrangements.

"Winnie! I'm soooo grateful to you! You don't know how you just saved my ass!" Fina rushed over and hugged Winnie. Then she started rattling off the 'plan'. A car would come for Winnie early in the morning. This way they would have time to make sure the clothes fit. They needed time to style her hair, do her makeup. Spike wasn't really listening anymore. He was thinking that Winnie would be gone for the whole day so he decided to sulk. Great! I bring her all the way over here and she up and leaves me! What does that tell him? They haven't had time to do anything alone. How was he supposed to convince her to see him as more than a friend when she runs off to-

"Spike? You hear me?" He shook off his thoughts and looked at Winnie.

"What?"

"I asked you if you wanted to come along. I mean, I, um, would feel better if you did." Winnie was looking at him hopefully.

Serafina looked at him. "Yes, yes come along, Mikey. Tell you what. After the shoot I'll make arrangements for some sightseeing and a nice dinner for you two! I'll make the reservation right now!" She pulled out her phone, dialed and walked away.

Spike shrugged his shoulders, "Guess I'm going then." Now he felt better. He really did want to go. He just didn't want anyone to think he was desperate or needed to cling to Winnie. He gave Winnie a big smile - she returned it.

"Ok everyone. Back to the party". His mom giving orders again.

Later at the party Spike caught a glimpse of Winnie as she was sitting with a group of his female cousins. They all seemed to really like Winnie, they way they just seemed to include her in all their conversations, remembering to speak English so she would not feel left out. He felt very proud of his relatives. Yep - so far, so good! He doesn't even know why he was worried!

A few minutes later his family started playing this game they did, a sort of tradition he remembers they do when they get together. They each take turns, walk up to another relative (usually someone you didn't get along with!) and say something nice about that person. It started when he was a kid. He thinks it was mostly because all his cousins were always fighting. Nothing serious, just kids being kids. That's when the adults invented this game, which they also participated in. He watched as one by one family members got up, walked toward another and said something nice to the other person in Italian.

Winnie suddenly volunteered to be next. He could tell she was nervous but he felt proud that she wanted to participate. She had been sitting with his cousins when she got up and walked toward him. He felt his throat constrict as she came closer. Everyone watched and the silence was deafening. Finally she looked him straight in the eye and spoke, in Italian, loud and clear -

"Hai caldo. Voglio andare a letto con voi." (You're hot! I want to go to bed with you.)

He just stared at her with an incredulous look on his face. A loud crash sounded behind him as his mom dropped the huge plate of food she was holding and just stared, open mouthed at Winnie. Monalisa blessed herself. Dead silence. Nobody moved. Not a peep was heard until his cousins - the ones who had been sitting with Winnie - burst out laughing. Soon the whole place dissolved into a ruckus of laughter and shouting. Spike looked at Winnie and watched as she just stared at everyone with a horrified look on her face. Fuck!

It was Serfina who came to the rescue. "I want to know who told her to say that. Stand up right now!" She bellowed in her deepest authoritarian voice. Dead silence followed. The cousins responsible for the infraction stood up - all had terrified looks on their faces. Serafina strolled over to them, taking her time and dragging out the inevitable. Spike looked at Winnie who just stood frozen. Serafina put her arm around Winnie's shoulder and whispered in her ear. Winnie's eyes grew wide. He guessed she told Winnie what she said to him. Serafina then motioned for the guilty to come forward. Winnie now had her face buried in her hands.

"What in the hell were you thinking? Obviously you weren't!" Fina was shouting at them. "Apologize!", she demanded. The girls stood in front of Winnie, seriously contrite as they fell over themselves apologizing. As Winnie moved her hands from her face a silence fell over the crowd. Everyone was waiting to hear her words. Would she forgive them?

"Just remember, paybacks are hell!" Winnie said as she stared at them. Then suddenly she bent over and started laughing hysterically, slapping at her thighs. His cousins just stood there wide eyed. Finally they too started to laugh. Pretty soon everyone was laughing. The girls looked at Winnie again and suddenly they were all hugging one another. It was Serfina who spoke -

"I'm glad Winnie chose to forgive you twits! I know I wouldn't! Just because she did doesn't mean you won't be punished! You girls will clean up this whole place. That includes putting the food away, washing dishes - whatever is needed. I'm putting Monalisa in charge of you just to make sure you do it right!" The girls looked horrified. Aunt Monalisa looked at them with a sly smile on her face. Spike was sure his cousins would regret this till the day they die!


	6. Chapter 6

Fashion Shoot

The car came to pick them up at 6am to take them into Serafina's studio near Rome. The driver opened the door and ushered them in the back seat. The drive would be about an hour.

"So Winnie? If you get discovered and become a big model, can I be your agent?" Gosh! Even with no makeup and her hair all messy she was still beautiful!

She just rolled her eyes at him. "I don't even know what it is I'm supposed to model!"

Spike's imagination went to work. Maybe it's lingerie. Yeah, like that Victoria's Secret stuff. He pictured Winnie in a lacy bra that pushed her breasts up and close together. The tops of her breasts would almost spill out over the fabric and bounce a little as she walked. Her panties would also be lacy. And skimpy too. Maybe a thong. Barely covering her -

"Spike!" Winnie was frowning at him.

"Uh, sorry! Was just thinking about my mom. You were saying?" Nice recovery.

Winnie suddenly looked sympathetic at him at the mention of his mom. "Aww. That's sweet! I was just wondering if you were planning on staying at the studio with me. I'd rather you did. That is, if you don't mind?"

"Don't mind at all!" She looked at him all happy and then started to make small talk about the sights.

They finally arrived at Serafina's studio, the drive having been enjoyable. At least to Spike it was. Getting to sit next to Winnie in close quarters for an hour or so. Yep, enjoyable it was!

They walked into the studio and up to the desk. The receptionist asked if she could help them. When Spike gave his name, she seemed to come alive.

"Ahh, Michelangelo, Winnie! We've been expecting you! Come, come. Everything is all ready!" She led them down a hall and opened a door at the end. Spike and Winnie walked thru and just gasped. The studio was amazing. It had small, compartment-like sets, depicting different scenes such as a bedroom, an outside area and a restaurant. All kinds of cameras, lights, those funny umbrellas - were all over the place. They just stood there and looked. Serafina glanced up from talking to a middle aged handsome man and rushed over to them.

"Winnie! Il mio bel modello! (My beautiful model!) You made it!" She kissed Winnie on each of her cheeks.

"Hello to you too, Aunt Serafina!" Spike's voice was dripping with sarcasm. His aunt was fawning over Winnie and ignoring him!

"Ugh, yes, hello Mikey". All three of them started to laugh. "Ok, ok. Winnie you come with me. Mikey, make yourself at home. There's coffee and pastries over there. We must get started". Serafina led Winnie away leaving Spike to amuse himself.

And amuse himself he did. As he strolled around the studio it seemed all the people there were more than willing to educate him on what they do. The fact that they seemed to take pride in their work and in this studio made him feel very proud of his aunt. It takes a good employer to keep such loyal employees. His thoughts shift to Team One and he knows for a fact that's true. He learns that the gentleman who was speaking with Serafina when they arrived was the principal photographer, Antonio. He does freelance work but has always done all of Serafina's photo shoots. Spike gets the impression that there's something between Antonio and Serafina. He's going to have to ask his aunt about that one. Not that he would object, no, no. In fact he would be happy if she did find someone to share her life with. Now if only he could do the same for himself!

A flurry of activity caught his attention. The crew was preparing a set, he figures it's for Winnie's photo shoot. The background they put up looks like the inside of a castle. In front of it they place a large brocade rug and a very ornate chair. It looked like a throne chair. It was red velvet with a high back and gold arms and legs. Antonio comes over and has a crew member stand beside the chair - he thinks that's where Winnie will stand. The photographer must be taking light readings. Sure enough Antonio barks out commands as the crew scrambles to adjust, add or turn off lights. They must get it right since after the next reading Antonio makes no adjustments!

Spike wanders around some more, looking at the different cameras, when a flurry of voices cause him to turn around. He freezes. Winnie comes walking out and he finds he can't move. She has on a red dress. It has those spaghetti straps and a deep plunging neckline. He focuses on her cleavage, lots and lots of cleavage. The dress is tight but not overly so. Hugs all her curves. The length stops midway between her thighs and knees. Not too short. He looks down at her feet. She has on these red high heels with a little strap in the back. He can see that her toenails are also a bright red. His eyes move up to her face. She's made up but not to the point of being gaudy. She has on red crystal earrings that hang down about 3 inches. Her hair is piled up on top of her head, she looks very sophisticated, as little curls hang down here and there. He can't stop staring at her. Fina is leading her to the chair then she walks over to Antonio to discuss something. A makeup artist comes over to Winnie to make adjustments. They are talking and Winnie is laughing. Fina and Antonio walk over to Winnie and the three are discussing how to proceed. Serafina leans against the chair, her hand on her hip thrusting it out a bit. She's speaking to Winnie who keeps nodding. They change places and Winnie strikes the same pose, one of her arms over the back of the chair. They have her look down at the chair and smile, then look away and hold her chin up a bit. Must be glamour poses he thinks. Winnie turns around he notices that there is no back to the dress! It's cut almost all the way to her rear. He's wondering what type of underwear she's wearing. Probably a thong, yeah, gotta be a thong. Unless! Maybe none at all! What does he know about modeling? Maybe the models don't even wear underwear so-

"Scusi, scusi." Spike almost jumped out of his skin! "Sorry!" Spike sputtered as he moved out of the way of a crew member carrying a hug light pole around. Maybe he'd better find another place to stand and get out of the way! He looks around and notices a small sofa with a high back about 10 feet from him. That looks like a good spot to park his ass. He makes his way over there and decides to stand behind it. This way he could lean his elbows on the back and be more in the shadows so he can indulge his fantasy of staring at Winnie without anyone noticing.

Spike gets himself situated just as this guy walks out onto the set. He's in a tuxedo. Spike thinks he's what the ladies would refer to as 'hot'. Spike thinks he looks like a gigolo. The gigolo walks over to the group. Serafina hugs him and introduces him to Winnie. Winnie holds out her hand to him. The gigolo makes a big show of taking Winnie's hand, turning it over and kissing her on the wrist. What the fuck! Spike stands up from his leaning position, ready to defend Winnie's honor when Antonio shouts for everyone to move off the set. Antonio then starts to bark orders – the gigolo is to sit on the throne and Winnie is to stand next to it with her arm over the back, hip thrust out to the side with her other hand on it. The photographer then has the gigolo cross his legs and hold a champagne glass. He gestures for the gigolo to look up at Winnie and smile and for her to look down at him and smile. Just makes him sick! Nobody told him there would be a gigolo here! The flashing of lights makes him crankier as Antonio adjusts them in different poses and takes more pictures. Finally, finally it ends. The gigolo stands up and Serafina ushers them back to the dressing rooms. The gigolo is walking next to Winnie, making her laugh. He needs to have a heart to heart talk with his aunt!

As Spike is drowning in misery, the crew works to change the set. Spike perks up at this and watches in fascination. They haul away all the castle crap and now everything is draped in white. White flowing pieces of sheer fabric hang from white poles, the background is white, not solid but like clouds. A white fountain is in the middle. They bring in a large fan and turn it on low so it gently makes the hanging fabric sway. Looks like heaven. And then he thinks he may even be there as Winnie comes out. He doesn't know what she has on, only knows it's, wow! It's some type of gown with a high neckline, long sleeves and a train except its - sheer. There are strategically placed (and they are definitely strategic) patches of lace on the dress. The lace is over most of her breasts with a large strip of it down her stomach flaring out to a patch in the v of her legs. Other patches of lace are on the arms and thru the long flowing skirt. He thinks he can see the outline of her dark nipples thru the lace. His eyes move down, he can see her belly button. He looks further down. This time he can tell there's no underwear to be found! He finally drags his eyes up to her face. Her makeup is minimal but she still looks gorgeous. Her hair is a mass of curls, looks like it's not even brushed. She looks like a pagan goddess. He swallows hard. He's thankful he has this love seat in front of him as all his blood has now pooled to a certain place below his waist!

Antonio and Serafina are standing in front of Winnie giving her instructions. She keeps nodding her head and smiling. Everyone leaves the set as Antonio moves behind the camera. He gives orders and the fan is turned up a little. Winnie strikes her pose and Spike groans. She's arching her back, breasts thrust out and arms a little behind her. She tilts her face up as the breeze softly blows her hair and the skirt back. Spike thinks he should go get a tissue and sit in the corner. He closes his eyes. He can hear as Antonio and Serafina tell Winnie to do this, then that as they pose her for more pictures. He can't bring himself to watch. Not in that dress. Not here. He can't however, stop his mind was wandering. He imagines her (in that dress, of course!) slowly walking towards him. A smile on her face as she says his name. She raises her arms out, beckoning for him to come to her. Her eyes close and her lips part. He moves towards her -

"Spike! How ya doing?" Winnie is standing in front of the sofa (thank god it's there!). She has a huge smile on her face as she looks at him. He can't say anything. He opens his mouth but nothing comes out. He does manage to keep his eyes on her face. He knows if he moves them down he'll ruin the back of this sofa!

"Um, um, Ok! You?" That's all he manages to say. She laughs though, "Ugh, this is harder than I thought!" Yeah, well if she wants to know about something hard he can show -

"Only one more dress to model, then we'll be out of here!" She turns as she hears Serafina call her name. She turns back to him - "Gotta go, see you later!" Spike sinks to his knees when she finally leaves.

He thinks he should go wait outside. Walk the streets, maybe a bus will hit him, put him out of his misery. He closes his eyes while he mulls this over. He can hear the crew changing the set again. Ok - so after the last outfit how bad can this one be? He knows his aunt designs dresses so it's not like Winnie will come out in a skimpy French maid outfit or anything. He can handle this, he just needs to take some deep breaths, quit being such an ass. He's grown man, for god's sake, not some testosterone laden teenage boy! Suck it up Spike! Yeah he can handle this. He opens his eyes. The set is chock full of flowers, they're everywhere. He then sees Winnie. He thinks he just miscalculated this whole 'handling the situation' thing...


	7. Chapter 7

The Breaking Point

She's in a wedding dress. He can't breathe. She's the most beautiful woman he's ever seen in his life. Everything just comes together in his mind now - he wants her forever. Wants to marry her, right now if she'd agree. Maybe he should run down there and ask her. She's already dressed for it, right?

He can't take his eyes off her. The dress has these tiny straps that look like they're made of diamonds. The neckline is low but not plunging, as it just shows the gentle swells of her breasts. The top part looks like a corset, has crystals all over it, hugs her body and ends in a v-shape below her waist. The skirt is flowing, soft, it moves when she does, looks like it floats around her. It has a long train also made of the same flowing material. The back is low, it shows off her smooth skin. Her hair is half up and half down, the curls gently swaying on her shoulders. Serafina walks over to her with a veil attached to a tiara. Winnie bends her knees so Fina can position the veil on her head. Another lady comes over and adjusts it, smoothes the veil behind Winnie's head. The only jewelry adorning her are earrings that look like a small string of diamonds hanging down. She's handed a bouquet of flowers which are white and a soft yellow. He doesn't know what kind they are. Serafina is talking to Winnie, probably giving her instructions.

He stares as Winnie assumes various poses - one of her with her head down as if she's sniffing the bouquet. Another of her with her face tilted up with a huge smile, teeth showing, both of her hands holding onto the bouquet. They move Winnie around and adjust the dress, one pose of her with the train swirled around her feet, another of her back with the train extended to its full length with Winnie looking down and to the side. The camera clicks away the lights are adjusted. They stop for a moment as Serafina calls for someone to come out. If it's the gigolo, he's going to fucking jump over this sofa, run over there and kill the bastard! NOBODY, NOBODY is going to marry Winnie except him! Not even in a pretend photo shoot! He calms down a little as he sees it's just someone to adjust Winnie's hair. Good fucking thing!

Finally after about 30 more minutes the photo shoot ends. Antonio goes over to Winnie and he can see him giving her a hug and placing kisses on her cheeks. He can hear Antonio thank Winnie and tell her how beautiful she is. Both Antonio and Serafina turn to the crew and thank them for all their hard work. He watches Winnie as everyone moves away, sees her go over to Serafina and say something in her ear. Serafina pulls back, looks at Winnie, then smiles and nods profusely. Serafina takes Winnie's arm and they move toward the dressing room, talking and laughing.

Spike just can't get the image of Winnie in that wedding dress out of his head!

A few minutes later, Spike leaves his perch behind the sofa and starts looking for Serafina. He has a plan and he needs to ask her something.

"Fina!" He calls out as he sees her. She walks over to him, a big smile on her face.

"Wasn't she amazing? She brought my dresses to life! I can't wait for the shoot to go public!" Serafina was just gushing about Winnie.

"Yeah she is. Tell me something I don't know! But I need to ask you something."

Fina looks at him, "Anything for you, Michelangelo, anything!"

"Can I have that dress, the um, wedding dress?"

Fina's eyebrows shoot up. She looks at him quizzically. "I don't think it would fit you Mikey."

Spike rolls his eyes. "Not for me! I, um, want it for a friend. I'll pay you!"

"Ahh, Mikey! If I could I would just give you that dress! But I already promised it to someone else. I can make you another one, I'll take your measurements, we'll make sure it fits!" She was trying to get rid of the look of defeat from Spike's face.

"Funny girl." Spike makes a face at her. "That's ok. Just forget it." Spike turns and walks toward the area where he knows Winnie will appear when she finally changes out of that coveted wedding dress. Serafina just watches him and smiles.

Spike's loitering around the dressing room waiting for Winnie to come out as Antonio walks over.

"Mike! Your Winnie is just a gem! So beautiful! And so professional too. You don't know how easy she made my job today. Most models, ugh. They act like prima donnas! I want this...I need that. But your Winnie, she just", he kisses his fingertips and throws out his hand, "she was just a pleasure to work with."

"I'm glad it all worked out. Glad she could help". Spike really didn't know what to say.

"I was thinking of offering her a contract - maybe she can model -". Antonio laughs at the look on Spike's face. "Just kidding, just kidding. But you know I bet she can get into modeling if she wanted to."

"Yeah, well, no." Like it would be his decision. He knows it's not. Just hopes that Winnie feels that way too.

"Well, I'm sure I'll see you and your lovely Winnie again soon!" Antonio extends his hand to Spike, they shake and the photographer walks off. Spike thinks about what Antonio said. Of course Winnie could model! Who would not want to photograph her? He just doesn't know if he could take it. Not that it's his decision to make. What if she ends up a lingerie model? She would have to parade around in skimpy outfits in front of all kinds of men. What the hell would he do then? He can't fight them all off! Maybe he should just tell her -

"Hey Spike! I'm ready to go!" Winnie was suddenly in front of him, holding this fancy looking bag, big smile on her face.

"What's that?" He points to the bag.

"You won't believe it! Your aunt gave me all these clothes! All of them are her designs. Just think, nobody else in Toronto will have anything like them!"

"You deserve them!" Serafina appears at Winnie's side. She looks at Spike, "I wanted to pay her but she refused! What I gave her is a pittance of what I would have paid a professional model!"

"I told you I wouldn't take any money. Besides, look what you did for us -", Winnie moves over to stand next to Spike, "You upgraded our plane tickets, gave me these wonderful clothes and not to mention this awesome modeling experience. And now you've arranged a tour and dinner for us. Any you want to pay me? Huh, seems I owe you!"

Serafina had a pleased look on her face, "Ok, ok. Let's just say we're even." She reaches for the bag in Winnie's hand, "Hear, let me have that bella, you don't need to carry it around. I will put it in the car for you. Now both of you, shoo, shoo - get out of here! Caio!" With that Serafina turns and walks away.

Spike and Winnie look at each other. "Here", Winnie thrusts some papers at him, "She gave me the name and address of the restaurant where she made the reservation and where we get the car to take us back to your mom's. There's a whole itinerary here, a map too. Look at all these interesting places close by that we can walk to. You game?" Spike was skimming over the papers, "Sure. Let do it." They walk out of the studio - according to the map there was a garden close by and an area lined with some quaint shops so they decide to check it out.

Since neither of them were very hungry, Spike suggests maybe they get something light at one of the shops, like a gelato, so as not to ruin their dinner.

The garden is beautiful and they both find it very relaxing after being cooped up in the studio. The weather's perfect - not too hot, not too cold. They stroll around and look at all the beautiful flowers and fountains with Spike translating all the placards for Winnie. He takes pictures of her too, standing by this shrub or that fountain. He even manages to get in a few of the pictures by asking a bystander to take a photo of them. Winnie would always stand close to him, and he would wrap his arm around her shoulder.

When they get to the shops Winnie's like a kid in a candy store, checking out this item, looking at that one. She purchases a couple of things for friends and family back home whenever she would find 'that special trinket'. After she pays, Spike would take the package from her like a dutiful - what? Boyfriend? Or maybe just a pack mule.

Spike begins to feel more and more morose about the whole situation. He can't help but picture her in the dresses she modeled. Why did he invite her along? Did he really think this was a good idea? Here they are in one of the most romantic cities in the world and they're - what? Friends? Winnie's chatting away but he's not listening. It's just not fair! He feels stupid. Did he think she would just fall into his arms because he brought her here? Can't she tell how he feels? Everyone else seems to. Maybe she's the stupid one - well, not stupid, maybe just detached? Maybe he should just tell her how he feels and see what happens. But what if she just laughs in his face? He certainly doesn't want to be stuck 4,549 miles from Toronto with a woman who doesn't want him! He can just picture it now, her insisting on leaving early to get away from him, his mom and all his aunts demanding to know what he did to make her leave. Yeah, that sounds like a fun time! Maybe he should just -

"Spike?" The sound of Winnie's voice pulls him out of his thoughts. They're in an alley, tall old buildings around them. One of those quaint areas his aunt suggested they visit. She looks all concerned, "What's wrong?"

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Ok, it's now or never. He's going to pour his heart out to her and see what- his eyes fly open when he feels Winnie's hands on his chest. She's looking up at him with a smile on her face.

"Spike", she whispers as she moves her hands up his chest and around his neck. He feels her pull his face towards hers as she closes her eyes and parts her lips.

She's kissing him. His shock lasts for a nanosecond before he wraps his arms around her and kisses her back. He can't stop, doesn't want to. It's her that pulls away first. She stays close, looks in his eyes. He lowers his mouth to hers and kisses her again. His blood flows southward. He slides his hands down to her rear end and pulls her close to him, let's her feel his desire. She pulls away again, looks at him and whispers - "Check the map, is there a hotel nearby?"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N** - This is the end of this little story! Thanks to all who have read and especially to those that have read & reviewed. Thanks again!

...

Hotel Adventure

Spike opens the door to the hotel room and stands aside to let Winnie enter first. He follows her then turns around to shut the door and engage the deadbolt. When he turns back to Winnie he notices she's standing by the bed, staring at it.

"Winnie?" He slowly moves so he's standing beside her. She turns around to face him. She had a 'deer in the headlights' look on her face. He swallows as he feels sick to his stomach. 'Oh god', he thinks, 'Is she gonna change her mind?'

"Winnie, we can just leave if you want to."

"Spike, I-"

"It's OK, we can just-". He starts to turn around and head for the door.

"Spike!" She says his name a little louder and he jumps.

He turns to face her, "Yeah?"

She walks toward him. "Spike, I uh. It's not that I don't want this, cause I do".

Spike feels his heart beat a little faster, he knows what he wants to do. "Ok. But I sense some hesitation here."

Winnie's face softens as she smiles at him causing him to smile back at her. God, she is just so fucking beautiful! She walks up to him and takes his hands in hers.

"Spike, your friendship means the world to me and I don't want to screw that up." Ok, Spike thinks, here it comes - the old 'let's just be friends' speech. How did he mess this up? Just 10 minutes ago they were embroiled in a passionate kiss. He finally thought they would be together. She finally saw him as more than a friend. He thinks about them kissing, his hands gripping her waist and pulling her tight to him. How she just moaned against his mouth. How he felt her shiver and hold him tighter when he broke their kiss and started kissing and sucking on the skin along her neck, how she whimpered when he-

"Spike are you even listening to me?" He pulls himself back to their conversation. She has a quizzical look on her face as she lets go of his hands.

"Winnie, I don't want to be just friends, I want -"

"I know. I want that too." His mouth just drops open.

"Wait, you do? So you don't want to stop this?" He looks at her with a hopeful expression on his face. Too bad he's so transparent.

She lets out a small laugh. "Not really. But I, uh, I need to know where you think this is heading. I mean, I don't want this to be just a one night stand. We -"

"Winnie, you could never just be a one night stand to me. Maybe a million nights, but never just one." He cringes at his lame attempt at a joke. "Seriously what I want is a, uh, um.." He was stammering.

"A relationship? I mean, I think we're beyond dating here." She laughs a little as her eyes dart from his to the floor. She looks at him with a hopeful expression on her face. He reaches down and takes her hands in his and looks her square in the eyes. He can't help himself as he blurts out his next words. "Winnie what I want with you is something that will last a lifetime if you are willing". For just a second she has a shocked look on her face and then her expression softens.

"Ok."

"Ok? That's it? That's all you have to -", she cuts him off by leaning up and kissing him hard on the mouth. He reacts by dropping her hands, circling his arms around her waist and crushing her to him. Her arms slide up around his neck and she runs her fingers through his hair.

She pulled away abruptly, "I think we've talked enough for now." She gently pulls his head back down to hers and kisses him again. Even though he desperately wants this, he can't shake the feeling that she's holding something back.

She arches her body into his and all other thoughts, save of her, disappeared. He moves one of hands up from her back to the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her hair. He gently pulls her head back so he could deepen their kiss. She moans against his mouth. She tries to break their kiss, moving her face to the side but his lips just followed hers, capturing them and kissing her again. He finally moves his mouth from her lips to her neck, kissing and gently sucking at her skin. When he reaches the curve where her neck and shoulder meet, she lets out a groan that causes him to ground his hips into hers. God! She feels so good, tastes so good! He could barely control himself, didn't really want to. His hand moves underneath her t-hirt, feeling her soft skin. He pulls her t-shirt over her head and throws it on the floor.

"Winnie". He looks down at her, drinking in the sight. He returns his mouth to her neck, moving down to the tops of her breasts, mouthing over her skin. He feels her hands unbuttoning his shirt, feels her move her palms over his chest. He pulls away and yanks his shirt off. Winnie looks at him, her hands moving behind her to undo her bra, slides it off and lets it fall to the ground. She undoes the button on her jeans and slowly takes them off, looking into his eyes the entire time. His heart is stammering as she steps over to him and starts unbuckling his belt. He helps her, stripping the rest of his clothes off. He picks her up and places her on her back on the bed beneath him, kissing her hard on the mouth. His mouth leaves hers, trailing hot kisses down her neck.

...

Spike is lying on his back, propped up on a couple of pillows with his arms wrapped around Winnie who's lying against his side, her head on his shoulder. He's sliding his hands up and down her smooth skin. He inhales her scent and just lays back and closes his eyes. He never wants to move. He never wants her to move or to leave or stop looking at him or to... He opens his eyes as Winnie suddenly rolls on top of him and props her head up on his chest and just smiles at him. She is just so pretty, those exotic eyes, those full lips now swollen from his kisses, that cute nose with the smattering of freckles across it, those perfect white teeth. He knows he's staring at her with a goofy smile on his face.

"You know what this means, don't you?" He says as he moves his hands to trace the skin up and down her back.

The smile on her face grows. "No, what?"

"Means when we get back to my mom's you're moving into my room". Wow - did he just go all cave man on her?

She props herself higher on his chest. "Hmm, I kinda like it when you take charge."

"Oh, yeah?", he teases.

She suddenly gets a serious look on her face. "Um, about saying no to you when you asked me out. I just-".

"Winnie you don't have to explain, I get it. Sometimes our timing is-".

"No, let me finish. Do you remember when I first joined SRU?" He nods as she continues. "Well, I had a big crush on a certain bomb tech." Spike is wracking his brain as to who it could be. Maybe Tom from Team Four? Yeah, he's good looking - well at least Leah told him so. Or maybe it was that guy from Team Five, what was his name?

"Spike I swear to God! Sometimes you're so dumb! It was YOU!"

Spike started to stammer, "How did you know what I was thinking?"

Winnie just huffs and rolls her eyes, "I could tell by the look on your face, you went off to 'let's analyze this' land."

He makes a face at her and she giggles, moves up and kisses him on the mouth before she slides back down and continues her story.

"As I was saying before I was RUDELY interrupted - I had a crush on you. Sooo, obviously you didn't notice?"

"No, well I uh", he just doesn't know what to say.

"Well Lou noticed. Always used to stop at my desk and tell me what a great guy you are." At the mention of Lou, Spike began to reminisce. He thought about when Winnie first started with SRU. Yeah, she was young, not that she's old now. He guesses her to be about 25 or 26 now so she was about 21 when she started. Him and Lou had been intrigued by the new dispatcher, especially since she was a female, and a pretty one at that. He remembers the conversation him and Lou had right after Winnie's first shift.

"Man, she's pretty!" Lou relayed this to Spike as they were walking out of the barn. They decided to head over to the Goose and grab a beer before they went home.

"Maybe you should ask her out." Spike also thought she was pretty but if Lou was interested he didn't think he would have a chance. Lou was smooth with the ladies, not to mention tall, good looking and just a general nice guy. Besides if Lou wanted to ask her out Spike wouldn't stand in the way. Lou was, after all, his best friend. A girl like Winnie would never give a geek like him a second look anyway.

"Me? I was thinking that YOU should ask her out." Lou looked him straight in the eye.

"Me? C'mon buddy. A girl like that would never go out with me!" There was nothing more than Spike would like then for Winnie to give him a second look. He would even settle for a third look!

"Don't sell yourself short, you dork! You need to find a nice girl like Winnie. Think about settling down, starting a family. You want that right?" Spike now thinks that maybe Lou wanted to make sure he had someone in his life. Since, you know, shortly after that he blew up.

Winnie smoothes her hand on his cheek bringing him back to the present. He looks at her and says, "So you had a crush on me?" God, he was really stupid!

"Yeah. Was waiting for you to, um, maybe ask me out. But you never did." She looked away from his eyes. Idiot, idiot, idiot...was all Spike's brain could process.

Spike puts his finger under her chin, making her look at him again, "Why didn't you ask me?"

Winnie blushes as she squirms around. Being that she was laying on top of him, it felt pretty good. She continues, "Lou used to tell me that all the time. Especially when he was bragging about how great you were. Was going to, you know. Wanted to ask, maybe flirt with you a little more so you would ask me. But then, um, then the landmine-". Winnie stops abruptly.

"Yeah that kind of took the wind out of everyone's sails. I get it." He had his hand in her hair now, gently stroking it. She looks up at him after a few seconds and speaks again.

She closes her eyes as she says the next part. "Made me realize how fickle life is. So, I figured maybe I should take Lou's advice. Ask you to coffee or something."

"But you still didn't." He states that as fact.

She takes a deep breath. "Uh, then um, Sam's sister came along." She looks away again. Shit! Shit! Shit! Spike closes his eyes as he let his head drop further down on the pillow. How in the hell could he be this stupid and still be in SRU? Maybe he should start looking in the mirror and profile himself. Write shit down in a notebook and carry it around with him so he won't forget.

He opens his eyes and looks at her. "You know, nothing ever happened between me and Natalie." He needed to make sure she knew.

"I didn't know that." She seems to take this in before she continues. "I guess by then I just gave up. Figured it would never happen."

Spike feels a bit of anger now at Natalie - they way she played her 'games' with him. Sure he was flattered that a gorgeous blonde would take an interest in him. But he thinks it was all for show.

"Since we're being truthful here, I, uh, had a crush on you too when you first joined SRU."

Winnie's eyes get really wide, "So why didn't you ask me out then? Huh, guess our timing really sucks!"

"So basically we wasted all this time?" He says this more to himself than anyone else.

"Yep. Just think, we could be married with 2 kids by now." Ok, that statement just causes him to lose it. He rolls them over so he was on top of her. "Winnie", he breathes as he kisses her passionately. She responds by wrapping her arms around him and arching her back. He presses her back down with his hips as his mouth leaves hers and begins to explore her again. God! She is so beautiful!

...

"Spike? I think we should get going. You know, your mom will start wondering where we are." He's snuggled up on her shoulder with his arms around her. She's just too warm to let go. He remembers falling asleep this way, his head on her shoulder and her head resting on his. He doesn't want to get up so he ignores her.

"Spike?" She tries again. He just moans while she starts to giggle.

"Yeah, I hear ya." He stretches his limbs as he buries his face in her chest again. "Ummm. You feel sooo good."

Winnie lets out a chuckle, "Hmmm. So do you. But we'd better get going."

"Yeah, ma's liable to send cousin Guido after us." He jokes as he raises himself up, looks at her again then swings his legs over the side of the bed, his back to her.

Winnie starts laughing, "Don't let your mom see your back!" She gets up and hugs him from behind, pressing her body to his.

"Why not? Maybe I'll just tell her what a wild cat you are!" He turns quickly and begins a tickle assault on her. Soon she's screeching hysterically as he shows no mercy.

"Spike, please!" She tries to twist out of his grip.

"Ok, you want to be pleased, I'll please you!" He lowers his lips to hers and kisses her. She's still breathing hard from laughing, but was soon moaning in his arms. He feels her hand on his chest, gently pushing him away.

"I know, I know. We'd better get going." He looks down at her again and drinks in the sight of her. She sticks her tongue out at him.

"Maybe we can continue this later on", she was wiggling her eye brows up and down. Spike loses it again, leans down and kisses her quickly on the lips before he pulls away.

"If you don't get out of my reach in 5...4...3..." Winnie giggles and scrambles out of the bed, grabs her clothes, runs in the bathroom and slams the door shut. He pretends to give chase. "2...1!"

They arrived back at his mom's house close to midnight.

"Michelangelo, where have you been? We were worried!"

"Sorry, ma. We were just, uh"

"Doing some sight-seeing! Sorry, Mrs. Scarlatti." Winnie chimes in when Spike couldn't seem to find his voice. Spike's mom looks back and forth between the two of them. Then she springs into action.

"Sit down. I will bring you something to eat. You are hungry, aren't you?"

It was Winnie who answered. "Starving!" That causes his mom to get a huge grin on her face. Their little detour to the hotel had caused them to miss the dinner reservation Serafina had made for them.

"Sit, sit. I will heat up dinner." She turns away and starts to yell for her sisters to help. Spike and Winnie looked at each other and just start giggling. Spike pulls her in his arms again and presses a kiss on her forehead.

"You really shouldn't cause me to upset my mom again". Spike chastises Winnie as she sputters and just slaps at his chest.

"As I recall, Michelangeloooo, you were just as much of a cause as I was!" Spike pulls her close to him again and buries his face in her hair, breathing in her scent again.

"Hmmmm. Maybe I'm not so hungry right now. At least not for food". He was caressing her back, his hands moving slowly down until they reached her backside. She lets out a soft moan as she places her arms around his waist and rubs his back. He begins to gently knead her rear end as he grinds his hips to hers.

"Michelangelo! Qual è la questione con voi! Non avete alcun peccato!" (What's the matter with you? Have you no shame!) Michelina looks scandalized as she catches them. "Mikey, I taught you better than that!" She reverts back to English.

Winnie pulls away from Spike but he just holds her close to his side.

"It's ok ma. Winnie's my girlfriend. I'm allowed to do that". Now that felt good. Winnie really is his girlfriend.

Winnie smiles up at him as she addresses his mom, "Sorry, Mrs. Scarlatti. It won't happen again".

Michelina smiles at Winnie. "Don't worry, bella! And please, just call me mamma. Michelangelo!, questo è il problema. Ora comportati!." (This is your fault. Behave yourself!). What? Why was she blaming him? Didn't she see that Winnie was clearly a willing participant?

Michelina turns and runs back into the kitchen. Spike and Winnie can hear her speaking softly to her sisters. Then they hear a loud screech. Monalisa sticks her head around the corner and just giggles at them. Spike just rolls his eyes and looks at Winnie who is laughing hysterically.

Much later, after they went to bed (and fooled around with Winnie exclaiming "Again?! Aren't you satisfied yet?" She then giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. And no, he wasn't satisfied. Didn't think he could ever be when it came to her) Spike thought back on the day's events. He couldn't believe his good fortune. Here he was in bed with the woman he'd been crazy about for, what, years? In love with even. She was sleeping on her side and he was spooned against her, one arm draped over her and one leg between hers. He listens to her gentle breathing. Actually, he feels like waking her up again but is afraid she would think he was some kind of horny bastard! Well, he was when it came to her. He just can't get enough of her. Maybe because he's afraid she's going to change her mind. Just up and say 'Sorry Spike - this was just a big mistake!' He shakes his head to rid himself of that thought. He really does need to have some faith in her and especially in himself! He pulls her closer to him.

'Married with 2 kids now' - huh, that statement she made earlier just keeps coming back to him. What an idiot he was for wasting so much time! Seems like she felt the same way. Maybe it wasn't so stupid for him to ask Serafina for that wedding dress. Too bad she promised it to someone else. Oh, well. Winnie would look beautiful in any wedding dress. Come to think of it, he'd marry her in a potato sack if the truth be known. Or nothing at all. He just needed to get up the courage to ask her! Slow it down, Spike, plenty of time for that later.

So all in all, inviting Winnie along for this trip was a good idea. He doesn't know why he was so worried!


End file.
